Public enthusiasm for saunas has taken off in recent years, spurred by the COVID-19 pandemic and the growth of the wellness industry. But scientific research on its benefits for physical and mental health is still nascent.
Leading researchers in heat exposure are coming together to organize the field and reach a consensus on what we know — and what we don’t — about its potential for treating and preventing disease. They hope the effort will legitimize a field that has struggled to take off.
NPR’s Will Stone had exclusive access to the symposium that took place outside Oslo and all the scientists involved.
This article was originally published on WBUR.org.
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